What do the Bulls do this offseason to improve their playoff chances? We obviously need another scoring threat. And the most obvious position would be the 2 guard. What are our options there? I do NOT want Jamal Crawford. I want a guy who can play defense AND be a scoring threat. From what I have heard, many players want to join the Bulls to be that "Missing" piece to a championship squad.

What about the Forward/Center position. What happens with Gibson, Asik, Noah and Booz. Do we try to improve those positions, or do we rely on depth once again to get us deep in the playoffs?

Foreman has many trading pieces. . and we have a bright future. . . Welcome back NBA

Obviously, our goal is to get a SG. Unfortunately there are none out there that will really make you jump out of your seat for, but they're still some very serviceable players that could help us win a championship this season.

In order of preference my list goes as such..

- Aaron Afflalo: Very unlikely because, not only is he a restricted FA, the Bulls only offer could be the full MLE which probably isn't enough to get him out of Denver. They will match virtually anything within reason since both Wilson Chandler and JR Smith are no longer available to them until I believe April or March due to them playing in China. Afflalo is the perfect fit for a Tom Thibideau team. I'm sure he's probably salivating at just the thought of him being a Bull. He is the perfect combination of defense and 3pt shooting, but lacks ball handling and shot creation which is something we lacked in that Miami series. I still value him over my #2 guy just because of his defensive prowess and his proven ability to play within a team structure.

- Nick Young: Also restricted. Probably more likely to leave than Afflalo but still a far cry from getting your hopes up. The Wizards have already made it known that their priority is to resign Nick Young but whispers around Young have also made it known that he'd like to play for the Bulls. We will see what his agent can coax up and whether or not he can convince Washington to let him go. Of course, he would have to be willing to accept less money to come here, which is another hurdle in itself. IMO this is his chance for that big contract and I don't think he's the type of guy that would already be willing to sacrifice the money for a chance to win. If he did somehow land here, then we would have ourselves a very good 3pt shooter that can do what Afflalo can't, which is handle the ball and create his own shot. Granted he's nowhere near the defensive player Afflalo is (Which is why AA is ahead of him) and he's not a very efficient player at all, so his numbers are inflated due to him having the freedom to shoot whenever he wants. He won't have that here, and he will have to learn how to play within that team structure.

- Jamal Crawford: This one is tough. The reason I like J Crawford over JRich is due to the fact that Jamal can handle the rock extremely well and is someone you can run the offense through when Rose isn't on the floor. JRich can't do that. Crawford is another one of those guys that would have to accept less money for a chance to win a championship. So far it's been all hear say but from what's been said, he might be willing to do that. I still have my doubts. I wouldn't be surprised if he wound up with the Pacers, since they have the cap space to offer him more money. But it all comes down to whether or not he truly wants to win or not. Adding him would greatly improve our offense but would certainly hurt our overall defense a bit. He is one of the worst defensive players I've ever seen but Thibideau does have his ways of making guys want to play on that side of the floor more (See Ray Allen). The reason Crawford isn't ahead of my other two is because of that defense, his age, and his tendency to become a black hole on offense. He likes to shoot.. alot.

- Jason Richardson: He's interested in several teams, including the Bulls. This is the first guy on my list that I feel like we really have a legit shot at getting. He's the type of guy I can see taking less for a chance to win. He's said as much. Now it's about putting your money where your mouth is. JRich is certainly a guy you can run screens for and a guy that will make it easier on Derrick when he's spotting up for those open 3 pointers. The problem with him is that he's lost alot of his athletic ability so he's not the ball handler/shot creator he used to be. You can't throw the ball to him and expect him to do much of anything with it. That could run us into the same problems we had in last year's Miami series. What we lacked most is that secondary ball handler that can score and take the pressure off of Derrick late in games. That is one of the reasons why I have Nick Young and Crawford ranked just ahead of him.

- Caron Butler: Doesn't quite fit the bill of what you envision your starting shooting guard being but Butler is a more complete player than the guys I rank behind him and if healthy, could be a steal in Free Agency. One other thing to point out is adding a guy like Caron could make Deng more expendable in a trade. Say something like Joakim Noah, Luol Deng, Mirotic, Asik, and 3 first round picks for Dwight Howard? Suddenly things start looking alot better. Even if that trade doesn't happen you still have a solid vet that will play tough defense, and will create shots near the hoop from time to time. He's a very aggressive player and likes contact. He'll certainly help offensively but the issue we run into with him is, he's not a good long range shooter, and that is one major requirement that needs to be fulfilled when Ronnie Brewer is your backup. I would worry alot about that during the postseason when teams start taking advantage of that weakness.

- Reggie Williams: We could possibly, depending on our money situation sign Reggie anyways if we could get him for the lesser of the MLE's. Not sure what the market will be like for him but he's another really good shooter, a guy that can dribble a little bit, and is a pretty efficient scorer. I think he averaged around 10 a game in only 20 mpg. It's always nice to have a guy that's going to score for you and not hurt you by taking ill advised shots. I would put him ahead of Butler if we are unable to sign both, but for right now I'll leave it as is.


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And then the rest...

TMac
Vince Carter
Shane Battier
Grant Hill

http://bleacherreport.com/tb/bcbR5

From listening to several people close to the Bulls organization and wondering internet reports....IF the Magic decide to give up and deal Howard- the Bulls will do pretty much whatever they can to get him.

What’s more, the Chicago Bulls are still a sleeper for Howard, several league executives believe. “Chicago may tell Orlando to take any two players – or three – besides Rose,” one GM said.

I'm not sure it is going to be worth what the Bulls will have to do to get Howard. I don't want to get into players, but very easily hearing Orlando starting with Noah/Deng and NOT wanting anythign to do with Boozer while taking back Turkaglu.....so working out a deal for Howard probably won't happen.

If the Bulls sign J-Rich for the full MLE...I'll be thrilled.

The Bulls can beat virtually any offer out there from the select few teams that are said to be interested in him, except for OKC. Remember we still have the Mirotic chip to offer and most draft experts view him as a top 10 pick if he were to come from overseas this year. Like I said, I'd imagine the deal would be something similar to Noah, Deng, Mirotic, Asik, and 3 1st round picks, for Howard and Turkoglu..? I don't get the LA thing other than the fact that Howard would enjoy being in LA. If you look at their roster, who on there besides Kobe would you want in return for Howard? Orlando would want to rebuild that franchise with a young player or two. Would they really want an injury prone thug like Andrew Bynum? Then you got Pau Gasol who's 32, Ron Artest, and Lamar Odom who are all in their 30's already. Atleast the Bulls would be able to offer a couple of young up and coming players that Orlando could covet, and then they still would get one of the best defensive SF's in the league in Luol Deng as a nice complimentary piece to go along with 3 draft picks on top of what they already will have.

I completely agree with the fact that the Bulls are in better position than any team out there...but that seems a bit steep. 3 first rounders? Granted late first rounders really don't mean all that much...but still. Plus the fact giving up Mirotic AND Asik. One or the other...but not both the picks and both those guys. I'd hang on to Mirotic if at all possible....but also...giving up all of your centers seems a bit drastic too. I understand your thinking and all...but the Bull are not that far off IMO and plus really like their chemistry. That would be tough for Pax to pull the trigger on this. And obviously no deal gets gone unless he reups...that's a given.

If OKC wanted him...they'd have him IMO. Harden/Ibaka/Perkins (Robinson has a filler to make the deal work) and pick or two for Howard would stomp any and all offers as Ibaka/Harden are in the 22 year old age range. Could you imagine if Howard could get Durant all the re-loads he wants? They'd have to deal Westbrook so he wouldn't take all of those shots away...oh wait...he already does.

I'm with you, Wanne....I don't think Howard is worth what it'll take to get him. I don't fault even the most intelligent basketball people saying to do whatever it takes to get Howard to pair him with Rose, but the Bulls just won 62 games last year and may have been the best team in basketball without being able to shoot.

I believe if the Bulls remedy that deficiency- they're better off. I'm guessing the conversation with Orlando will be this:

We want Noah, Deng, Gibson, Asik and 3 1st Rounders including the Charlotte pick which grows more and more valuable as time goes on and MJ gets poorer.....and we won't take Boozer back under any circumstance while you take Turkaglu/Reddick off of our hands. Whoever takes Howard is going to get bent over just as bad as the Knicks did to get Melo.

Every Bulls fan that watched the Bulls every night last year knows this team can get a lot better....no need to re-tool things. We need to keep stressing depth, keep our draft picks and build on what we already have.

The only deal I would do with Orlando would be Noah/Boozer/Deng and a 1st Rounder or two for Howard/Turk/Reddick....they get better salary wise and gain an entirely new front line to replace Howard. I don't believe they'd do that...but that should be the very very best Bulls offer.

I see the thinking as far as them taking Boozer too...but still...that's an awful lot to give up. If it's a point of just getting rid of his salary you could always just Amnesty him. Granted building around Rose and Howard isn't a bad thing...but at Melo found out if you strip the cupboard bare there's not a lot left to eat. I'd puke having to take Turkoglu back personally. I completely agree and have no problem standing pat right now and trying to add a piece like Richardson or Butler. We're really not too far off. The big thing that people overlook is attitude and chemistry...and this team had both...including talent and heart. Not a lot of teams can genuinely say that. Many organizations looks at the Bulls with envy right now in that regard. While I'd love to have Howard...I'd hate to strip this team down to nothing. For some reason I also really think Jimmy Butler is going to be a big X-factor for this team at some point this year as well.

http://espn.go.com/chicago/nba/story/_/id/...ue-rip-hamilton

Above link has Bulls interested in Rip Hamilton.

I can't say I'm thrilled with it, but I'm certainly OK with it.

He is certainly past his prime, but he really lit the Bulls in our last encounter in Auburn Hills last year. He isn't much of a 3pt shooter, but has great range, can make open shots and can put the ball on the deck to get a better shot (but can't get to the rim).

He's an upgrade at the 2, but I hope they keep Keith around.

Meh on Rip Hamilton...he is a bit past his prime. Better than nothing I guess...although I still would have preferred Richardson.

I say bring back Captain Kirk...he never should have been traded. If they don't do that then I say see if you can get OJ Mayo from the Grizzlies.

The Mask of vengeance is officially a bull. 2 years, $10 million, an option for a 3rd year (which might be nice as motivation for him).

at least on paper, this is a solid upgrade from last year...hopefully he comes to play.

I like all comment !!

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Wait, I kill threads needlessly?